Awarding of 311 Independence Meritorious Persons on the Occasion of the 80th Anniversary of Liberation

[Financial News] The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will award 311 independence meritorious persons on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of liberation.
Among the awardees, 71 will receive the Order of Merit for National Foundation (2 Independence Medals, 13 Patriotic Medals, 56 National Medals), 22 will receive the Order of Merit for National Foundation, and 218 will receive the Presidential Citation. 
On the 13th, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs explained, "This award for independence meritorious persons was conducted focusing on the discovery, collection, and analysis of various trial verdicts and prison records," adding, "In particular, 62 participants in the March 1st Movement in Jeongsan-myeon, Cheongyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, were recognized as independence meritorious persons through continuous efforts to discover and collect materials such as the 'Criminal Name List'."
Geraldine Fitch (Independence Medal), an American who helped the officials of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea escape, will receive the Order of Merit for National Foundation. She assisted her husband, missionary George Ashmore Fitch, in hiding Kim Gu, Eom Hang-seop, Ahn Gong-geun, and Kim Cheol, who were being pursued by Japanese police after the Yoon Bong-gil incident in April 1932, in their home, and when their location was exposed, helped them escape from Shanghai disguised as Chinese.
Kim Sul-geun (National Medal), who led the independence movement in Korea and the United States and volunteered to join the US military during the Pacific War, will also receive the Order of Merit for National Foundation.
Kim Chang-jun (Independence Medal), who was affiliated with the Gwangjeongdan and Bukrogunjeongseo in Manchuria, China, in the early 1920s, fought against Japanese police and engaged in activities such as raising military funds, was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison, and Choi Jong-yu (National Medal), who was arrested while working as an elevator operator at the Government-General of Korea building in 1940 and discussing independence movement plans with comrades, will also be awarded the Order of Merit for National Foundation.
Jung Yeon-bong, Lee Bong-sik, and Choi Sang-deung (all National Medals), who were arrested while participating in the independence demonstration in Jeongsan-myeon, Cheongyang-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, in 1919, will receive the Order of Merit for National Foundation, and six members of the Ahn Soon-pil family, who engaged in activities supporting the independence movement in the Cuba region, will receive the Presidential Citation.
As a result, a total of 18,569 people have been awarded as independence meritorious persons since the establishment of the Republic of Korea government until this Liberation Day. Among the awardees, 11,889 received the Order of Merit for National Foundation, 1,562 received the Order of Merit for National Foundation, and 5,118 received the Presidential Citation.

wangjylee@fnnews.com Lee Jong-yun Reporter